January / February 2007 Issue

Winter Workouts

Get Moving Workouts
Check out these favorite "winter workouts" from warm- and cold-climate USMS swimmers. See related article in USMS SWIMMER, January/February 2007.

WINTER WORKOUT 1
by Jill Gellatly
Woodlands Masters, The Woodlands, Texas

Warm-up

300 swim - 300 kick/drill/swim IM order by 75s

Main Set

800 free - Negative split
2x400s - Pull; 30 second rest
4x200s - Descend 1-4; interval that gives you 15-20 second rest
8x100s - Odd IM/ even choice; interval that gives you 10-15 second rest

4x75s kick- 50 build, 25 sprint

200 cool down

Total: 4,300 yards

WINTER WORKOUT 2
by Paula Smith
Anchorage Masters, Anchorage, Alaska

Warm-up (700 yards)

300 swim
200 kick
200 pull

Set 1 (800 yards)
8 x through

1x50 kick 1:20
1x50 drill 1:10

Set 2 (1,500 yards)
6 x through - variations: All free; first 4 IMO, last 2 choice; alternate stroke/free by repetition. Build intensity with distance: 25 is EZ; 100 is fast (interval should be "just make it" to 5 seconds rest)

1x25 EZ 0:55 (stroke) 0:45 (free)
1x50 mod 1:15 (stroke) 1:05 (free)
1x75 increase intensity 1:25 (stroke) 1:15 (free)
1x100 fast 1:35 (stroke) 1:25 (free)

Cool down (500 yards)

Breath control - Start with < 20 breaths/100 and drop at least 2 breaths per 100
5x100 free 2:15

WINTER WORKOUT 3
by Vince Herring
Rochester Orcas, Rochester, Minn.

50x100, 15-30 seconds rest. Hold best average, or swim by pulse (if 110 bpm, swim faster; if 130 bpm, go slower. Sometimes I see how fast I can go with pulse low.)
50x100 15-30 seconds rest; easy, medium, hard by 100
10 to 20 x100 easy, but try to hold each 100 as close as possible to the same time.
10x100 descend (each 100 faster than the one before)
3000-5000 straight, but swim easy/hard by 50s, 100s or 200s. I like to do ladders. For example: 25, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150, 175, 200, 225, 250, 250, 250, 225, 200, 175, 150, 125, 100, 75, 50, 25-this equals 3,000 yards or meters. I usually do this one on 3 breaths between each repeat.

Here's another favorite set:

10x100 easy
10x100 at 1000 pace
10x100; descend 1-5 and again 6-10 or descend by 2s
10x100 best average

I rest 1 to 2 minutes between each set of 10 and increase the rest per 100 by 5 seconds for each set. A lot of times I swim a straight 1000 for a warm-up, with the last 200 hard. I use that time for the 200 to set up my goal times for my workout that day.

WINTER WORKOUT 4
by Janet Renner
Maui Masters, Maui, Hawaii

Warm-up - 400 swim
Kick/swim 4x150 - 100 kick, 50 swim on rest 15
Pull or swim 500 on CI + 20
Swim 3x100 on cruise interval (CI) + 20 descend
Pull or swim 400 on CI + 15
Swim 3x100 on CI + 15 hold pace from last fastest descend above
Pull or swim 300 on CI + 10
Swim 3x100 on CI + 10 descend
Pull or swim 200 on CI + 5
Swim 4x100 on CI + 5 hold 200 pace or faster
Warm-down - 200 reverse order IM - 25 drill, 25 swim

WINTER WORKOUT 5
by Joanne Wainwright
Alaska Masters, Anchorage, Alaska

4x100 @ 1:30 (or similar interval, with approximately 10 seconds recovery)
4x25 @ :25 or :30
3x100 @ 1:30
8x25 @ 1:30
2x100 @ 1:30
12x25 @ 1:30
1x100 @ AFAP (still 1:30)
16x 25 @ 1:30

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